200 people protest Supreme Court ruling

“No warrant, no entry! No warrant, no entry! No warrant, no entry!” So chanted the crowd at a rally protesting a recent Indiana Supreme Court ruling.

The ruling prohibits citizens from resisting police officers who enter their homes
without warrants.

Over 200 people gathered at the Statehouse on Wednesday May 25 to protest the ruling, which they saw as a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

IU sophomore Stephen Stolnick and Loyola sophomore Emily Veno organized the rally.

Neither had significant prior experience with political organizing, but after the Supreme Court ruling they felt a need to speak out.

“We just decided to start this because we didn’t see an outcry about it,” Veno said. The two created an event on Facebook, expecting to only get some of their friends to attend. However, activists saw the event and began contacting the two about speaking, and the event began to grow.

Speakers at the event ranged from former “Survivor” contestant Rupert Boneham to Libertarian political organizer Evan McMahon.

The message was clear throughout the afternoon: this ruling is unconstitutional and cannot be ignored.

The rally drew a crowd of residents of all ages from areas such as Anderson, Terre Haute, Muncie and Indianapolis. Many attendees carried signs, and some dressed in costume.

The rally’s organizers said they see the event as a starting point for a campaign against the ruling.

“We’ve gotten the ball rolling,” Stolnick said. “Now, it’s really in the hands of the people of the communities.”